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The Java House... radical opinions about whatever, from OldSage
Teens
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Is
It Assessment Time At Your House?
by
Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph
In
many states homeschool families are required to show improvement,
or that they actually homeschooled their kids. Generally it is through
some sort of assessment process like an academic test (sometimes
called proficiency or standardized testing).
There are as many different opinions about academic testing as there
are homeschoolers. Many people object to standardized testing.
Let's start with a definition:
as-sess ,v.t. 1. to estimate officially the value
of (property,etc) for taxation. 2. to determine the amount
of (damages, a fine, etc.) 3. to evaluate: to assess one's
efforts. |
The next word in my dictionary
was |
as-set, n. 1. A useful thing or quality. |
The interesting
definition to me was number 3. Actually the next definition
is the real comment. In this age of standardized testing,
how can one really measure one's efforts? One of my favorite
topics is No Child Left Behind because of the element of required
"assessment" of students and teachers. There's a
"catch 22" for you! In the state where I homeschool,
we have to send proof that our students show improvement each
year and we have three choices in order to do that. One choice
is the standardized test, the next is to have our portfolio
assessed by a state certified teacher and the third is a method
that both the parent and the superintendent agree on. Well,
if you're dealing with a middle school age student that prefers
Quantum Physics to Earth Science and Wheelock's Latin to English
Grammar, you're kind of in a weird place, especially when
none of these choices sit very well with you in the first
place.
In our homeschool we look at Standardized tests as a necessary
evil that measures someone's idea of some subset of knowledge
the specific age group should know. We also know that one
day we'll take the SAT College entrance test, so I administer
a CAT-5 every year for 2 reasons. 1. so my student knows what
a standardized test looks like 2. to satisfy my curiosity
that he could play that game if he needed to. Lame reasons,
but that's what we do. In this age of standardized testing
I thinks it's better to be the informed player on the sidelines
than the ostrich who doesn't even pay attention to the game
in the stadium.
Over
the years I have collected a lot of information on academic
assessment, perhaps what I have collected can help you. [read
on]
The
Overscheduled Child
by
Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph
A
friend recently commented to me about another parent "they
drive them to a bunch of activities and schedule so many things
for them to do that when they don't have anything planned for them,
they don't know what to do."
I
asked "so do you think that makes them a good parent?"
They replied, "this parent thinks they are super parent, when
really I have observed is all that they have with those kids is
a superficial relationship because they don't really spend any time
together, rather they let all these non-family members coach, instruct
and mentor their kids."
Now
one could take that conversation as gossip, but it made me realize
the very special relationship homeschooling parents end up having
with their kids because of the time we spend coaching, instructing
and mentoring our kids. Personally, I think many activities outside
the home are used more for babysitting than anything else.[read
on]
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The
Dilbert Blog
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Travelin'
With The Kid
blog.brightkidsathom.com
Read
about our adventures in our own back yard and on the road!
From a mom who has been homeschooling and traveling with
a highly gifted student for more than 5 years.
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The
National Science Foundation
(NSF)
is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to
promote the progress of science; to advance the national health,
prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…" |
Bright
Kids at Home
www.brightkidsathome.com
A practical website geared towards homeschooling and traveling with
gifted and talented students. From a mom who has been homeschooling
a highly gifted student for more than 5 years. Here you will find
ideas about how you might homeschool your gifted student. You'll
find ideas about how to homeschool and travel. |
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'Carrot
Wars'
An excerpt from former home-schooler Alyssa Buecker's "Star
Wars" spoof, "Carrot Wars," which was commissioned
by HBO Family Channel. Watch. Linked to the video library
at The Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence, Kansas.
(VIDEO)
(Best with High Speed)
|
A
Lego
Knitting Machine from YouTube.
(VIDEO)
(Best with High Speed)
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Lego
StrandBeast
(VIDEO)
(Best with High Speed)
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Try
something new! |
Seed
2007 Science Writing Contest
What does it mean to be scientifically literate in the 21st century?
How do we measure the scientific literacy of a society? How do
we boost it? What is the value of this literacy? Who is responsible
for fostering it?
Essay submissions will be judged by a panel of Seed editors and
special guests. Winning entries will be published in Seed magazine.
-
Submission
Deadline: July 1, 2007
-
Maximum
Word Count: 1,200
-
First
Prize $:2,500
-
2nd
Place: $1,000 Prize
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Wrights
Law is a very well done website for legal issues regarding
Special Education?
Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw
for accurate, reliable information about special education law,
education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities. Begin
your search for information in the Advocacy Libraries and Law
Libraries. You will find thousands of articles, cases, and free
resources about dozens of topics
|
Seedmagazine.com
aims to provide our readers with the most relevant, insightful and
entertaining original science content on the web. Updated 6 days
a week, our site includes everything from breaking news and in-depth
features to columns and reviews, including articles from Seed Magazine
(subscribe). While our library includes the usual magazine fare,
we also embrace the potential of the web to cross media boundaries
by delivering podcasts, slideshows and a growing pool of video content. |
Astronomers
have detected the brightest stellar explosion, or supernova, on
record. They say it may be a new type of supernova that may also
oc-cur be-fore long in our own galaxy—what one re-search-er
said would be history’s most awesome star show. [read
on] |
You
can become Carbon Neutral, read how [here]
Becoming carbon neutral means that we have obtained a carbon offset
to balance out any greenhouse gas emissions we create by running
our website and back office operations. |
Alyssa
Buecker might be one of the most famous home school students to
come from Lawrenc, Kansas. It was her films starring her Guinea
Pigs that did it. [read
on]. Now Daphne
the Science Guinea Pig wants her own movie! |
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